Simple thank you isn’t enough

The congregation of St. Augustines’ Episcopal Church wishes to extend our sincere gratitude to all those who took time to visit and care for a member of our parish at South Peninsula Hospital. In the early hours of Wednesday, May 8, Gillian Munn lost her battle with cancer.

Gillian was an important part of our family of faith and when she was taken back to SPH late last week, many of us feared that our Gillian would not be returning home. The outlook was not good. The congregation formed a 24-hour vigil at her bedside. We felt strongly that Gillian had not entered this world alone, and we were determined that she would not leave it alone either.

What amazed us was the number of visitors from outside our parish that responded to Gillian’s bedside. Gillian was actively involved in our parish, as well as the Homer Animal Friends and the Homer Animal Shelter. She had so many friends who visited, but unfortunately, we were unable to keep a complete list. With that in mind, we extend our personal thanks to all those who were able to stop by to visit with Gillian during those final days. She knew you were there, and each of you were a great comfort to her.

In closing, this letter would not be complete without extending our heartfelt appreciation to the nursing staff at SPH. We could not have asked for or imagined a higher quality of care for Gillian. Always caring, always attentive, they did everything they could to ease the transition as Gillian approached the end of her life. In so doing, they provided strength to us during those final hours.

These health care professionals are an amazing group, which is often overlooked and at times not truly appreciated. The people of Homer need to understand just how fortunate our community is to have each of them with us.